Referee Trend Heavily Favors Chiefs in Divisional Round Matchup vs. Texans

Reed Wallach | Jan 15, 2025

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; NFL referee Clay Martin during the Arizona Cardinals game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Chiefs' quest for the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat begins at home against the Houston Texans on Saturday, and the team will have some history on its side. 

The lead official on the Chiefs-Texans game on Saturday will be Clay Martin. The Chiefs are 6-0 with Martin’s crew manning the whistle during the Patrick Mahomes era. 

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Clay Martin will be the referee for the #Chiefs divisional round matchup against the Texans.

Kansas City are 6-0 in the Mahomes Era with Martin officiating.@FourGuysInABar @TalkPrimeTime @BowTieSports_18 @ChiefsInsider pic.twitter.com/938dmqX9bN

— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) January 13, 2025

While there’s no clear correlation between the referee crew and who wins the game, it’s an interesting nugget to take to the betting window. 

Martin’s crew ranks seventh in terms of flags thrown per game this season, per NFLPenalties.com, with a clear split with about one more flag per game thrown on the road team. 

Of the tracked head referees, Martin’s group has penalized the home team the second-fewest in the NFL this season. 

Below, you will find the updated betting odds for Chiefs vs. Texans with Kansas City holding as a considerable home favorite against the Texans.

Texans vs. Chiefs Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Texans: +8.5 (-110)
• Chiefs: -8.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Texans: +360
• Chiefs: -460

Total: 41.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

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